WWPA CHAMPIONSHIPS ON TWITTER Want to get up-to-the-second scores, photos and announcements from this year's WWPA Championships? Follow @WWPAChamps on Twitter to stay in the loop with all the action this week at Sullivan Aquatics Center.

TOP SEED UC San Diego has claimed the top-seed after posting a few hot win streaks throughout the second half of the season. The Tritons enter the tournament at 22-13 overall and 7-0 against WWPA foes. During their end of the season winning streak, UCSD defeated eight of the nine remaining teams in the field, including a 9-7 upset over ninth-ranked Long Beach State at Canyonview.

COACHES CORNER"We are playing our best water polo of the year right now and the team is very excited for the opportunity to get back to the NCAA tournament," said head coach Brad Kreutzkamp. "I really feel that depth is always an advantage in this tournament and that's something we certainly have. If we can just execute our game plan then I'm confident that we can win the 2013 championship."

A LITTLE HISTORYUC San Diego is 37-6 in WWPA play in the four seasons of head coach Brad Kreutzkamp's tenure. UCSD went 7-0 this season in conference play. Last year’s Tritons finished at 8-2 and in 2011 they went 12-1 on its way to the conference title. The Tritons were 10-3 in conference competition in 2010.

LIZOTTE EARNS WWPA PLAYER OF THE YEARJunior Sarah Lizotte has been named the 2013 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Player of the Year, the announcement was made by the conference Monday morning. Lizotte leads the Tritons in goals with 78 on the year, good for the No. 6 spot on the program’s Single Season Top-10 list. As a junior, the utility player now hold a career total 215 goals, making her way up the career record book at No. 3 on the top-10 list. This season, Lizotte has scored three or more goals in 14 different occasions, with a single game high six against Sonoma State. This year’s honor marks the first of the Riverside native’s career, while it is her second consecutive First Team honor. Lizotte has received conference recognition for her play throughout the season, earning KAP7 Player of the Week honors in three separate occasions; Jan. 30, Mar. 13 and Apr. 10.

THREE OTHERS EARN ALL-WWPA HONORSIn addition to Lizotte, Melissa Bartow and Courtney Miller joined her as All-WWPA First Team honorees. Alexis Wieseler received Honorable Mention recognition. Both Miller and Wieseler were also named to the All-Freshman team.

OTHER TOP SEEDSNo 2 Loyola Marymount: The Lions are 18-12 on the season and 6-1 in the WWPA. Like the Tritons, the Lions defeated the rest of the field on the season. The Lions were picked to finish first in the annual preseason poll. They will face No. 7 Cal State East Bay at 12:30 p.m. The Pioneers enter the tournament with a 16-15 overall record and 2-5 in league play.

No. 3 Santa Clara: At 14-16, the Broncos are 5-2 against WWPA opponents and will open tournament play against No. 6 Cal State Monterey Bay at 2:00 p.m. The Broncos were picked to finish third in the coaches’ preseason poll. CSUMB is 10-21 and 2-5 entering the tournament.

No. 4 Colorado State: The Rams will take on No. 5 Sonoma State in the first round. CSU and the Seawolves met earlier this season at the Aggie Shootout, where the Rams pulled away with an 11-8 win over SSU. Colorado State enters the tournament at 8-19 overall and 3-4 in the WWPA. Sonoma State is 12-18 on the season and 6-7 in conference.

GEAR HERE UC San Diego Athletics is excited to announce the launch of UCSDTritonsGear.com, which provides a web-based, on-demand option for UCSD athletic apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products, including special event and championship gear.

COACH K ON TWITTERYou can now follow UCSD head coach Brad Kreutzkamp and get his own perspective on the team through Twitter. Follow @UCSDcoachK all season for an in-depth look inside the Triton women's water polo program. In addition, you can always keep in touch with UCSD Athletics through @UCSDtritons and facebook.com/UCSDtritons.